J Formos Med Assoc
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Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) represents a precancerous lesion of oral mucosa that may progress into oral cancer and its major etiological factor is areca nut chewing. Carboxyl-terminus of Hsp70-interacting protein (CHIP) functions as an ubiquitin E3 ligase and is associated with fibrosis diseases. In the current study, we sought to investigate whether CHIP participated in the areca nut-mediated OSF development. ⋯ CHIP may not only function as a key regulator of protein quality control but also a critical deciding factor to oral fibrogenesis. Our findings suggested that CHIP possesses the anti-fibrotic effect, which may be mediated by TGM2 regulation. Restoration of CHIP could be a therapeutic direction to help OSF patients.
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Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the standard of care for intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Variceal bleeding is a life-threatening complication and may alter the initial treatment plan. This study was aimed to elucidate the risk factors for variceal bleeding in HCC patients receiving TACE treatment. ⋯ The incidence of post-TACE variceal bleeding was 1.5%. Patients with post-TACE variceal bleeding have poorer TACE treatment response. The pre-treatment ascites and FIB-4 score are the independent predictors for post-TACE variceal bleeding.
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Observational Study
Associations between early intra-arrest blood acidaemia and outcomes of adult in-hospital cardiac arrest: A retrospective cohort study.
Resuscitation guidelines list acidaemia as a potentially reversible cause of cardiac arrest without specifying the threshold defining acidaemia. We examined the association between early intra-arrest arterial blood gas (ABG) data and outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). ⋯ Early intra-arrest blood pH was associated with IHCA outcomes, while levels of PaCO2 and HCO3- were not. A blood pH of 7.2 could be used as the threshold defining severe acidaemia during arrest and help profile patients with IHCA. Innovative interventions should be developed to improve the outcomes of patients with severe acidaemia, such as novel ventilation methods.
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Letter Case Reports
Australian case of scrub typhus contracted while hiking in northern Taiwan.